VietNamNet Bridge – The large number of high-rise buildings being built in HCM City's centre has worsened traffic congestion, one of the country's most serious problems, urban planning experts have said.

Despite a frozen property market and a sluggish economy, many high-rises are still being built downtown, especially in District 1.

Investors have proceeded with construction because they were afraid that the city would revoke their licenses if there were delays, according to Truong Trung Kien, chief of the City Centre Planning Division of the city's Department of Planning and Architecture.

Hoang Minh Tri, deputy head of the HCM City Research and Development Institute, said urban planning experts had strongly urged the city to delay construction on 100 buildings in the city centre.

However, city officials said such delays could not be done because the investment law did not allow delays.

An investor of a building on Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street in District 3, who declined to be named, said: "We have spent so much time and money to apply for licences, so we cannot stop the project."

An official from the Department of Construction said many local and foreign investors of buildings downtown have strong financial capacity.

More vehicles

The proliferation of high-rise buildings is causing problems on both major and minor roads in the city.

Nam Ki Khoi Nghia and Nguyen Van Troi streets are two major streets in HCM City that have high traffic density.
This is due in part to a higher number of vehicles on the road, but also to cars parking on the street or going in and out of many newly-built buildings.

For example, on Nam Ki Khoi Nghia Street, where many buildings have underground parking lots, car drivers still illegally park on the streets to avoid parking fees.

Some sections of Nam Ki Khoi Nghia and Nguyen Van Troi streets have three lanes each way, and in other sections, even fewer lanes.

To prevent further traffic congestion, the Department of Planning and Architecture is submitting a plan to the city administration that calls for expansion of the existing city to curb traffic congestion.

Under the plan, many streets in the city centre would also be widened or lengthened, and metro lines would be built.

A major metro station would be built near Ben Thanh Market in District 1 that would have trains going in four directions.

However, these projects would be carried out one by one and thus would not be able to keep up with increased traffic congestion, according to urban planning experts.

Construction on Metro line No 1 Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien has already begun, which is expected to open to traffic in 2017.

Most of the other transport infrastructure projects are still under discussion and are seeking financing from many sources.

VietNamNet/VNS